Jason Kander Running for Mayor of Kansas City in 2019

Jason Kander, the rising Democratic star who nearly defeated incumbent Republican senator Roy Blunt in the 2016 election, will run for mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, according to the Kansas City Star. The newspaper also reports that Kander hasn’t formally made an announcement, but he could launch his campaign as early as next week.

In the 18 months since the 2016 election, Kander has maintained his national profile through speeches, appearances in early presidential states of Iowa and New Hampshire, founding the voting rights nonprofit organization Let America Vote, and as host of the Majority 54 podcast on Crooked Media.

Kander’s decision to run for mayor next year effectively takes him out of consideration for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. There are currently eight candidates who have declared for the election, five of which current members of the city council. The primary is scheduled for April of 2019.